Taking pictures on rides

[Christine43]

Last year I tried to take some pics on rides w/o the flash and they were terrible. Is there any secret to getting some shots of the indoor rides w/o a flash? I have a Panasonic Lumix. Also my night pics outside weren't great either, I'm just not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any help is appreciated.

 

[ukcatfan]

You are not doing anything wrong. A p&s camera is just not very capable of taking low light shots with motion. If nothing were moving, then they are capable by just using a tripod. You can help on the rides by setting the largest aperture and the highest ISO that you can stand without adding too much noise. You would probably still have to use manual or shutter priority mode to make sure that the shutter is fast enough to prevent motion blur. Even a DSLR has a tough time with low light rides. Using a lens with a very wide aperture is needed.

Kevin

 

[webshark3]

Here's an excellent article on why you have problems with P&S cameras....

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/compactcamerahighiso/

 

[Christine43]

Thanks! Is there any camera capable of getting these shots w/o flash?

 

[SharonLowe]

Thanks! Is there any camera capable of getting these shots w/o flash?

A dSLR with a high ISO and a very fast lens. Even then it can be tough on some rides.

You might have a look at some of the new p&s cameras Canon just announced. You need to look for one that will go up to ISO 1600 and have an aperture of f/2.8 or less. (I use an f/1.4 lens with my camera at ISO 1600 when I shoot inside rides but you won't find a p&s with those specs)

 

[ukcatfan]

A dSLR with a high ISO and a very fast lens. Even then it can be tough on some rides.

You might have a look at some of the new p&s cameras Canon just announced. You need to look for one that will go up to ISO 1600 and have an aperture of f/2.8 or less. (I use an f/1.4 lens with my camera at ISO 1600 when I shoot inside rides but you won't find a p&s with those specs)

Just to add to this, many p&s cameras now support high ISO levels like 1600 and higher, but do not perform very well at those levels. Look for an image sensor that is larger than the standard 1/2.5". The better ones are typically in the 1/1.6" - 1/1.8" range. But again remember that even these larger ones are tiny compared to a DSLR sensor, so do not expect too much.

You can get a DSLR with a fast lens for less than $600 these days, so the prices are getting cheap enough that many more people make the jump. I know I will never look back. When I have to use our old S2, I feel very limited in what I can do.

Kevin

 

[webshark3]

For reference:

My 300D (DSLR) equiped with a 50mm f1.8 lens (only slower than f1.4 and f1.2 lenses $$$$) could not get good shots in the Haunted mansion, even wit the ISO pushed to 3200 and 6400 (in photoshop).

It does will on "lit" rides like It's a Small World.

A P&S (usually) won't shoot RAW, won't go over ISO 1600 (over 400 is usually garbage), f2.8, and small sensor.

The Fuji's might have a shot, but I'm not sure how much manual control you'll get.

 

[Christine43]

I am far from a photographer so, in layman's terms, what do I ask for if I'm going to go buy a new camera and how much can I expect to spend? I don't want to sound like an idiot and end up buying everything under the sun because the camera shop employee gets paid on commission and can see me coming a mile away. It's very frustrating because I thought I had gotten a great camera etc.....I'd like to have a camera that covers the things I mentioned with a booklet I can actually understand. Thanks again for all the help. Christine

 

[ukcatfan]

Be sure you know what you are getting into before upgrading to a DSLR. They are not for everyone's taste. You will also need to learn some of the basics of photography in order to get the most out of it. A good book to read even before looking into specific models and brands is Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

Like the others said - for the indoor "dark rides", it's darned near impossible to get a good shot with any camera. The official photos and video inside the rides have extra lights turned on. The darkness combined with the motion of your ride vehicle and, often, the motion of whatever it is you're trying to photograph equal a heck of a challenge.

I'm going to try some more indoor photos at Disneyland in a couple weeks at F1.4 and ISO 1600 or 3200 but I'm not expecting miracles.

The other problem is that the darker it is, the harder it is for your camera to focus. Depending on your camera, it may give up and refuse to take a shot, or it may go ahead and take a poorly-focused photo. The focus difficulties are especially noticable since the fast aperture required for the ride photos create a very small depth of field, so accurate focus is essential. I very well may just go for manual focus and do my best to eyeball the distances.

 

[webshark3]

In laymens terms:

Enjoy what you can get out of your P&S in auto. What you need to even attempt to get good pics out of a dark ride will run you a few years of practice with $900+ in cost to start.

The Fujis may be good in rides with moderate lighting that don't allow a flash, but you still need some experience. You won't be able to use full auto modes.

Fireworks are another story. SInce they're bright, you can get lucky with a P&S, sometimes in auto. Rarely, but sometimes. Put your P&S on a tripod, and use the basic "night mode" and you can probably get some nice shots.

 

[ukcatfan]

In laymens terms:

Enjoy what you can get out of your P&S in auto. What you need to even attempt to get good pics out of a dark ride will run you a few years of practice with $900+ in cost to start.

The Fujis may be good in rides with moderate lighting that don't allow a flash, but you still need some experience. You won't be able to use full auto modes.

Fireworks are another story. SInce they're bright, you can get lucky with a P&S, sometimes in auto. Rarely, but sometimes. Put your P&S on a tripod, and use the basic "night mode" and you can probably get some nice shots.

I agree with almost everything except the price. You can get pretty good results with the setup Groucho is going to use and it will run around $600. It would be the Pentax K100D with a FA 50mm f/1.4. It also has the benefit of IS in the body. To be fair, you could also go less than $900 with a Rebel XT and the 50mm f/1.8 from Canon, but no IS.

Kevin

 

[webshark3]

I agree with almost everything except the price.
Kevin

You're right, I was just thinking of a new XTi and a fast lens off the top of my head...

 

[Christine43]

Thank you very much for all the replies, I appreciate it. My father has tried to get me into photography for the past 20 years, I wish I had listened to him but I will borrow some of his books and do some studying. I would like very much to get into it now. Thanks again.

 

[dburg30]

Lots of folks suggest a book like this for learning. I've never read it but lots of people suggest it to folks starting out..

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding...9211635?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187744700&sr=8-1